Going into my fourth year at UC Davis, I, like many of my peers, have begun to think about what I want my future to look like after graduating. As someone who is extremely indecisive, I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what I want my future to look like. Can I envision a future here? In the city? In the country? Do I want children? What is my dream job? To answer all of these questions, I’ve written out a list of scenarios of what my future could look like.
- Plan A: I would graduate college, and go to graduate art school studying graphic design. I would learn more about techniques for designing, helping me really solidify my foundation in design before making my way into the workforce. The graduate school would be in a large city (ie. New York, Seattle, SF), and I would be able to utilize public transit or walk to my destinations. Hopefully here, I would also find an internship, or land a job out of my grad program. I would spend most of my life in the city, working at my job, before finally settling down in a more suburban area to raise my family.
- Plan B: For this plan, after graduating college, I would move back home, and start to really focus on expanding my small business and marketing myself and my brand. I would create a better brand identity, invest in products and packaging, and really incorporate what I learned as a student at UC Davis into my jewelry making business. I would also have my own office or small shop in town where I can display my items and interact with my customers in person. This would also involve taking social media platforms like Instagram and Tiktok, and utilizing them to my full potential. I would film daily content, keep up with trends, and find a (hopefully) successful path up the wall of inspirations.
- Plan C: In this, I would drop everything and travel around the world. I would take at least one year to myself to explore what the world has to offer, while also prioritizing my mental health and wellbeing. As someone that often struggles with the feeling of being “stuck” in one place, traveling would allow me to really take part in a one-in-a-lifetime experience, taking into account both the limitations of traveling alone or with a group of individuals. I also hope to learn more of my native language (Mandarin), so it would be really cool to be able to travel to Taiwan, and to be able to spend a month or two in the country to really familiarize myself with the culture as well as learn Chinese first hand. Not only would I feel more connected with my family, but I would also be able to learn languages that would be extremely beneficial for the future when communicating with individuals in the United States that might need an interpreter or translator in a future job.
Overall, though my future is uncertain, I hope to be able to gain more experience through living life, whether that includes traveling to different states, countries, and environments, or settling down. Whether I decide to pursue a career with my major, enter graduate school, or travel the world, I’m excited for what the future holds for me. Until then, I’ll continue my life in this small little apartment in the middle of an agricultural wonderland, pondering what’s out there beyond the cows, university, and small downtown life.